I wish had not bought the Prius

Bought at my car with 108,000 miles. By 110,000 miles the car needed an inverter, combination meter and now a brake actuator.

My first toyota ever after owning cars for 50 years. I wish I had never bought this car.

The saddest thing might be what I did to buy it. I walked for almost a year to save my money for a reliable car. I spent all my money to buy a Prius with a good service record and this is what I got?

I took the car to the dealership and they asked toyota to at least help me with my brake actuator. After a week of my car sitting there Toyota came back and said they would pay 1/2 or $2000.
I can't afford $2000. This is turning into the most expensive car I ever owned at a time I live on social security and food stamps.

WOW, this is horrible news. You literally hit the trifecta of expensive repairs with the exception of the hybrid battery. You truly have a lemon which is very rare although that will not come as comforting news to you.

I have learned the hard way that hybrids but especially used hybrids are not good vehicles for people who don't drive much or drive very short distances; the car actually works harder than a regular car in these instances.

Step up the complaints and have them cover this repair on your newly purchased car.

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No I bought it from a used car dealer not from a Toyota dealership. They claimed because I was the second owner they felt even less likely to cover it. Plus, they kept my car for a week and then said no.

No I bought it from a used car dealer not from a Toyota dealership. They claimed because I was the second owner they felt even less likely to cover it. Plus, they kept my car for a week and then said no.

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Check the laws in your state, surely they sold you a lemon with possibly known problems.

Inverter or inverter water pump? Water pump, I can understand as 100k seems to be the typical replacement time. Dealer price $650. DIY is $65 for the pump online, $160 at Autozone, $10 for a set of hose clamps, some coolant and an hour or less of your time.

Combo Meter...sticks, but unfortunately seems to be a common issue. Dealer cost? IDK, but DIY is about $150 for a programmed meter from Texas Hybrids (?) and again, an hour or two of your time.

Brake actuator ...dealers seem to vary widely, but it can be purchased online, new from Toyota for around $1200. Used on ebay from reputable sellers for about $250 give or take a bit. If you have a favorite local mechanic with some Prius experience, I'm sure they could beat dealer cost for installation labor. Certainly there's a hybrid specialist somewhere near you in Florida.

Can I ask what symptoms you experienced that led you to take the car to Toyota? Are they telling you this is an urgent repair need, or is there just some noise you're having them look at?

Inverter or inverter water pump? Water pump, I can understand as 100k seems to be the typical replacement time. Dealer price $650. DIY is $65 for the pump online, $160 at Autozone, $10 for a set of hose clamps, some coolant and an hour or less of your time.

Combo Meter...sticks, but unfortunately seems to be a common issue. Dealer cost? IDK, but DIY is about $150 for a programmed meter from Texas Hybrids (?) and again, an hour or two of your time.

Brake actuator ...dealers seem to vary widely, but it can be purchased online, new from Toyota for around $1200. Used on ebay from reputable sellers for about $250 give or take a bit. If you have a favorite local mechanic with some Prius experience, I'm sure they could beat dealer cost for installation labor. Certainly there's a hybrid specialist somewhere near you in Florida.

Can I ask what symptoms you experienced that led you to take the car to Toyota? Are they telling you this is an urgent repair need, or is there just some noise you're having them look at?

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They put in a used inverter I was told. The large square silver box has been replaced anyway. $600 was the cheapest we could find.

Both water pumps show to be replaced via the service records. This car has amazing service records which is why I bought it.

I bought the car drove it home and the VERY next morning the combo meter was out. I drove it that way for a couple of weeks. The dealer wanted $1200 and I got it done at a 3rd party for $550 but they broke two of my vents that I still must replace.

I noticed when I'm at a stop light that the brakes click and that actuator sound goes off and sometimes very loud. I had the brakes inspected at a brake shop and they were found to be fine with 1/2 the pads still good. They did not check the actuator though and I went to the Dealership to ask them to check the brake noise. They came back and said my issue was the actuator. I am 60 days out of warranty. $4000.

It's not throwing any codes. The brakes are just making noise and doesn't feel very firm. This is my first Toyota and have even less experience with a Prius.

I had the Windows tinted, bought 4 new tires and new OEM floor mats, installed a 5000k interior LED light kit and had the car detailed, clayed, polished and waxed. It looks good but I have way too much money in it now and the price is still going up.

I also missed the warranty on the leaking headlights and also have the dreaded HID headlight going out at random times problem. I have ordered new bulbs. I have also run 5 bottles of Techron through it. I have only driven the car 2000 miles.

I bought this car with the idea of not needing any repairs because I am retired with near zero extra income. I bought into the Toyota reliability claims but have not seen evidence of that at all.

I could have bought a really nice BMW or Mercedes for what I paid for this prius and had the same repair cost but at least I would have had a luxury car rather than a Corolla station wagon.

Of course I'll find some 3rd party person to fix the brakes but I am not trusting the car. I wish I had bought something else.

I feel for you. It sound like a string of incredibly bad luck. Wish you were closer, I'd be happy to help out. Personally, I trust a dealer about as much as a used car salesman or an A/C company. Remember, their goal is to get your money into their pockets. You may want to search around and see if there's a Prius Group in your area. At least then you'd be able to compare your noise to another car to see if it's abnormal or not. They may even have a member or two who work on Prii. I've seen some Craigslist ads locally where someone was looking for a Prius mechanic to do some side work. Maybe that's an option. I'm sure there's guys out there that do jobs on the side.

I feel for you. It sound like a string of incredibly bad luck. Wish you were closer, I'd be happy to help out. Personally, I trust a dealer about as much as a used car salesman or an A/C company. Remember, their goal is to get your money into their pockets. You may want to search around and see if there's a Prius Group in your area. At least then you'd be able to compare your noise to another car to see if it's abnormal or not. They may even have a member or two who work on Prii. I've seen some Craigslist ads locally where someone was looking for a Prius mechanic to do some side work. Maybe that's an option. I'm sure there's guys out there that do jobs on the side.

I am a little shocked all that happened in such a short time span. Either the previous owner knew and that's why they unloaded it, or maybe even the repair shop you're using is just not diagnosing the actual problem and just throwing new parts at things until it works.

Also buying a used car in the Southern US after all the flooding that happened recently is a terrible idea in general. There are so many flood damaged cars that weren't totaled, and a flood damaged Prius is a paperweight.

Good luck. Once you replace the HV battery, you'll have a brand new car!

Sorry about the situation. What did you pay for the car, it might be time to cut bait depending on the total costs of repairs and this isn't factoring in a potential battery replacement.

This is why many here caution against buying a 10+ year old preowned Prius- unless they have a decent size repair fund. There's a reason why the previous owner sold it and it probably wasn't because it was running great without any major repairs needed.

Previous owner traded car in when the symptoms came up. Bought a new car. Dealership sold the trade in via auction. Use car dealer purchased the Prius via auction, and buyer beware for next owner. Rinse and repeat.

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